Things your parents led you to think were 'special' or 'expensive' that you now take for granted?

[VladmirsPoutine]

for the po-faced

Growing up my siblings and I were wary over using too much kitchen roll - we'd get a sheet and fold it in half to tear before using, the faff was a PITA but to this day I still get a bit territorial over my kitchen roll.

We also had 'special' China plates, cups, cutlery, that sort of thing. Only used when we had guests or at Christmas - I didn't carry that into adulthood but whenever I visit my DM I still fondly look at the unit containing all those 'special' cups

My dad died when I was relatively young but prior to this death he used to always take us (siblings&I) to our weekend clubs when we were young, on Saturdays one of my sisters and I attended clubs that finished at similar times and it was always Saturdays that mum worked nights so the 4 us: dad+siblings would always get McDs and think it was basically gourmet dining.

I didn't have a deprived childhood by any definition but I do find those quirks quite funny looking back.

[MaroonPencil]

Cornettos. We could have Mr Men lollies, Funny Feet, Fabs, Zooms, Mr Whippy cones, chocolate ices, but Cornettos were out of our league and could only be afforded by the super rich. To the extent that if the DC now want a Cornetto I feel myself pursing my lips in disapproval even though it's the same price or less in fact than other things that I am perfectly fine with them ordering.

[UniversallyUnchallenged]

Mobile phone calls, I can never just chat, without thinking about the cost. I have a contract phone, that I have never used the call limit (or even close too)....It’s ridiculous- I’m ridiculous, just keep talking. I just can’t do it 😠

[annandale]

Making any sort of phone call in the daytime. Cheap Rate After 6 should be on my mother's gravestone.

[Miniwerewolfhugs]

Vienetta. And Bernard Matthews Turkey drummers for some reason we thought these were fancy.

[gobbynorthernbird]

Putting the heating on.

[slimyslitheryslug]

Grapes. Only purchased to be served with cheese at a dinner party. DBro
and I were not allowed to have one until the morning after the dinner party. My DC have them pretty much every day.

[HibiscusIsland]

My parents reckoned you should only use one sheet of loo roll for a wee and two for a number two. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

[Ttbb]

Buffets

[HarrietKettleWasHere]

lucozade only if you were deathly Ill.

At MacDonalds, Happy Meals only (no exceptions) until you were deemed old enough for the 'adult meals'. Usually about 14 years old or so and it was quite a big thing when our time came finally came and we could have a McChicken sandwich and more than about ten chips

Chuckling at the poster retelling the ice cream hierarchy as we had that too. My dad would be most pleased if we went for a Sparkler, at 25p. You could probably go up as far as a Twister depending on how generous a mood he was in, but there was a very clear cut off point.

My friend who was out with us one day asked for a white chocolate magnum.

My brother and I were like

[OhNoGroken]

Babycham in the official glasses that made a little ring of bubbles

[Floralnomad]

Nothing to do with my parents but when I first qualified as a nurse in the 1980s , I worked a night with a CSW who said had I noticed that however much loo roll you tear off and hand to the patient if they are elderly they always tear it in half and use only half . We spent a whole night testing the theory with different amounts of paper handed out and in about 8/10cases she was absolutely correct .

[NikiBabe]

Buying a brand new car.

That is expensive considering how quickly a new car devalues as soon as it is driven off the forecourt. It can lose about a quarter of its value as soon as you drive it away. It's madness.

[ilovepixie]

Pure fresh orange juice was seen as a luxury as It was expensive.

[HerRoyalNotness]

We had a stingy dad on the toilet roll front. I remember being at hour holiday place in the long drop and him yelling at me as I was using too much. It was this awful thin no white paper stuff. Ugh. Mum did tell him off for that though.

He's right on lots of things, but I suppose that's why he could pay the house off so fast. He is debt adverse and was scandalised when I bought a new car, on finance. He only ever paid cash and still does, if he doesn't have it, he goes without.

[BackforGood]

Eating out / takeaways.

Not that my parents were tight, the world has changed. In relative terms eating out is a fraction of what it cost when I was a child, but it does strike me as odd that my student dc thing it is a normal thing to do, even though they are on tight budgets.

[HerRoyalNotness]

not quite paper

[HerRoyalNotness]

Oh yes our takeouts were fish and chips on a Friday. Never anything else. My kids get sushi fgs, sushi!

[PestoSwimissimos]

We never had Ribena, had to make do with either orange or lemon squash.

[Garlicansapphire]

Fresh orange juice (only at Christmas)
And having more than one piece of fruit a day.
Chocolate biscuits were rare, and turned over so you wouldn't realise (!) - you could only ever have one each.
Fizzy drinks.
Ice cream - again very rare. Never a choc ice!

[brasty]

Tinned sweetcorn, too expensive

[SagelyNodding]

Ribena definitely! Also fizzy drinks were limited to Christmas and birthdays... To be honest I'm still incredibly stingy with these things for my DC... But for different reasons. Viennetta was a huge treat!

[Carouselfish]

Definitely eating out. A day trip with my mum will always be made tense by my suggesting we have lunch and her saying no, it's too expensive, she wouldn't enjoy it. She'd rather bring a bottle of water and marmalade sandwiches. But she didn't, so she'll wait til she gets home.

[melonribenia]

Ice cream vans - we were literally never allowed.
McDonald’s- it was deemed too expensive and too confusing
Cranberry sauce- we ate roast chicken most Sundays but only one jar of cranberry sauce was bought, for Christmas, it was used through January then wistfully remembered until the next year
Hotels/ b and b’s - we always went self catering